Town of Centreville, MD Building Permits, Zoning & Septic

The Town of Centreville, Maryland requires a permit from the town’s Zoning Administrator for buildings, structural alterations and changes in land use.¹ Centreville administers its own zoning; Queen Anne’s County Health Department remains the approving authority for septic and private wells.²³ Inside town limits, start with town Planning & Zoning for building approval and the health department for an onsite sewage system.¹⁴

At a glance

Building permits: Required for buildings, structural alterations and land-use changes; issued by the town Zoning Administrator.¹
Zoning: Town zoning and subdivision regulations apply inside Centreville limits.²⁵
Septic permits: County health approval required before constructing or altering an onsite system.⁴³
Private wells: Well construction requires approval; a licensed well driller submits the application to the county approving authority.⁶
Building permit fees: Town fee schedule is published; ask Planning & Zoning for the charge for your project.⁷
Owner improvements: Maryland’s owner-performed home-improvement exception concerns the contractor license number, not an exemption from building permits.⁸

Who to call

Zoning

Town of Centreville Department of Planning and Zoning

Town zoning and subdivision administration; contact for parcel zoning and development questions.

410-758-1180

Town Hall 101 Lawyer’s Row Centreville MD 21617

Building permits

Town of Centreville Zoning Administrator — Building Permit Applications

Town building permit applications, building detail sheets and published fee schedule.

410-758-1180

Town Hall 101 Lawyer’s Row Centreville MD 21617

Septic permits

Queen Anne's County Health Department, Environmental Health Division

County health review of septic systems and private wells, including town properties using those systems.

410-758-2281

206 N. Commerce St., Centreville, MD

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Town of Centreville means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

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Do you need a building permit in the Town of Centreville, MD?

Centreville requires a permit from the Zoning Administrator before erecting, moving, adding to or structurally altering a building or other structure, or changing the use of land.¹ Centreville’s building permit must conform to town zoning unless the Board of Appeals issues a written order.¹ A building proposal therefore needs both a zoning fit and the town building approval; ownership of the parcel does not resolve either question.²¹ Maryland’s exception for owner-performed home improvements concerns inclusion of a contractor license number on the permit, rather than permission to build without a permit.⁸

Who issues building permits in the Town of Centreville?

The Town of Centreville Zoning Administrator issues the town building permit, and the town’s Forms & Permit Applications page provides a Building Permit Application Form and Building Detail Sheet.¹⁹ Contact town Planning & Zoning at 410-758-1180 for the zoning and application questions for your address.¹⁰ Centreville publishes a fee schedule, but we could not confirm the individual project charges; ask the town for the applicable building permit fee before budgeting.⁷ For land outside town limits, use the Queen Anne’s County guide for the county building-permit answer rather than treating Centreville’s town approval as approval for unincorporated land.¹

Does the Town of Centreville have zoning and setback rules?

The Town of Centreville administers its own Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations inside town limits.²⁵ Centreville’s published zoning information includes district regulations; a parcel’s district is the starting point for evaluating a proposed home or land use.¹¹ Ask town Planning & Zoning to identify the parcel’s district and the applicable lot size, setbacks and permitted uses before choosing a building footprint.¹⁰ We could not confirm a district-specific minimum dwelling size or dimensional thresholds for this guide; request those requirements directly from town Planning & Zoning rather than assuming a single standard applies throughout Centreville.¹⁰

How do septic permits and wells work inside the Town of Centreville?

Queen Anne’s County Health Department is the local approving authority for onsite sewage disposal and related water-system permitting, including Centreville properties using private systems.³ Construction or alteration of a septic system requires prior approval, and increased flow or changed wastewater character also requires permission.⁴ Maryland requires an onsite system to be inspected and approved before any part is covered or used.¹² A licensed well driller submits a well construction application to the county approving authority; potable use requires a Certificate of Potability before the well enters service.⁶ For an existing property, contact Environmental Health at 410-758-2281 about septic and well records and the proposed work.¹³

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in the Town of Centreville?

We could not confirm an allowance for living in an RV, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on private land inside Centreville; ask town Planning & Zoning about the intended dwelling and duration before buying for that purpose.¹⁰ Centreville’s permit requirement covers changes in land use as well as building work, so a proposal involving little construction still needs a town land-use answer.¹ Maryland protects placement of qualifying new manufactured homes in zones allowing single-family residential uses, subject to the statutory conditions and local zoning, utility, site-preparation and permit requirements.¹⁴ That manufactured-home protection does not establish permission for RV or tiny-home living on every Centreville parcel.¹⁴

Building a home in the Town of Centreville: what are the steps?

Ask town Planning & Zoning to identify the parcel’s zoning district and review the proposed use; the town administers zoning and subdivision regulations.¹⁰
Resolve water and sewage arrangements before construction: county health approval applies to covered work on private systems, while a community sewer connection may be required where the system is adequate and economically available.⁴¹⁵
Use the town’s building permit application and detail sheet, and request the applicable town fee.⁹⁷
Ask town Planning & Zoning how to arrange inspections and the applicable occupancy certificate; Maryland’s enforcement mandate includes inspection of permitted work and appropriate use and occupancy certificates, but we could not confirm Centreville’s local scheduling procedure.¹⁰¹⁶¹⁷

Watch-outs

We could not confirm Centreville’s town-wide public water and sewer connection requirements for new homes; ask town Planning & Zoning to identify the utility review needed for your parcel.¹⁰
A new private septic system generally cannot serve property already connected to community sewerage unless the Department authorizes it.¹⁵
Floodplain development can require local and state approvals; ask Centreville’s town permit office about the local requirements before grading or building on a mapped floodplain parcel.¹⁸
Maryland required local accessory-dwelling authorization laws by October 1, 2026, for land with a primary single-family detached dwelling; ask Centreville Planning & Zoning for the town’s current implementing law and project standards.¹⁹¹⁰

Sources

Written October 11, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Town of Centreville publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Queen Anne's County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Building permits, zoning and septic in the Town of Centreville, MD